David Van Der Muelen Fiasco

Published: May - 1998

So what is the latest on that bruising David van der Muelen fiasco in Tanzania that cost scores of hunting clients and hunting professionals so much money? At this late date, we are still getting subscriber and non-subscriber inquiries from injured parties, as witness the fax note we received this month from (of all places!) Malaysia. The non-subscriber wants to know if a class-action suit of any sort has been started to recoup funds lost in this largest-ever hunting company bankruptcy. The short answer is no - not to our knowledge, but we welcome word from anyone who has filed suit or wants to link up with others sharing an interest in such a suit.

Continuing subscribers will remember that the precipitating event here was the collapse of van der Meulen's company in Tanzania two years ago. When the dust settled, there were bills outstanding that prevented the shipment of more than 50 clients' trophies, plus an astounding number of money claims by would-be clients who had either paid deposits on future hunts or paid for them outright. At this point, of course, the trophy-shipment problem has been solved. The money claims are another matter. To our knowledge, none of them have been satisfied except for hunts with van der Meulen bought at auction through Safari Club International. SCI's Secretary and Ethics Chairman Larry Katz says all clients who bought safaris with van der Meulen at the National Convention are being taken care of, either by having their money refunded or by being offered a credit toward a future auction hunt.

If your claim against van der Meulen stems from an auction hunt, you should check into this right away. The contact person is Pat Johnson. Mind you, there are some real bucks involved here. Katz says the total amount of money being refunded or credited has already reached $155,300. And that may only be the tip of the iceberg in cost to SCI because van der Meulen also sold many hunts at chapter auctions that were not conducted. Policies vary, but Katz said he understands most chapters........(continued)